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Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

The Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009s Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There's new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime "Transformers" character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is expected to hit theaters July 1st, 2011 in Real D 3D and IMAX 3D.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi543989017/

Review:

*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Saw this movie yesterday and let's just start by saying that everything that Transformers 2 wasn't - Transformers 3 is. This movie is fast-paced and things happen constantly. This is what a summer blockbuster is all about - making the crowd entertained and at the edge of their seats.

The main improvement from the second movie though is the storyline. Not only is the main storyline very compelling but it is given plenty of time to get the viewer to understand the back story as well (in fact, the first 20-30 minutes are about the back story). The storyline is also very good as it keeps the viewer interested in the movie, unlike the second movie. Not only is this storyline very good and compelling but the one regarding Sam Witwicky is well done too. His character has a good story arc this time and it gives the movie another dimension other than "robots fights robots in cool ways". It should also be noted that the humor and comedic elements in this movie is very well done, opposed to the 2nd one. At one time, my friend told me that it was too much humor up till that point in the movie!

What also needs mentioning is the 3D. This is hands down the BEST 3D made in a movie - ever! I've seen every 3D movie that has been made and until now Avatar was in the lead, by a mile. But Michael Bay - with the help of James Cameron and Cameron's avatar team - has created a real 3D spectacle here! Gone are the problems with the dark glasses that make the picture darker - this time they've made the movie brighter from the start! There is a shot of the Hong Kong skyline in the night - and in 3D this looks absolutely gorgeous. You can literally see like 15 buildings all in front of one another. The one thing that's missing are objects that pop out from the screen.

Also, the cgi is extremely well done to accommodate the 3D. The cgi has always been great in the Transformers movie and now is no different. The transforming parts have been slowed down and one can actually see almost every single part that is transforming. Breathtaking in 3D sometimes.

It should also be said that the score is very good. EG, Linkin Park's Iridescent is used several times and one time in particular is really good (SPOILER ALERT: when you hear the singing and not just he music).

Finally, some of the scenes in this movie looks really awesome in 3D and is - even if u watch it in 2D - great. In particular there is a chase scene on a highway about halfway through the movie. This is the 2nd best chase scene I've scene, only upped by the one in Matrix 2. The reason is that the details can be clearly scene all the time and it never feels like you as the viewer is missing out on things thanks to the camera being too zoomed in. Bay has learned from the mistakes in the first movie and most of the fights are zoomed out so you can see everything!

There are a few gripes though: 1) There could have been a few more fight scenes in the movie. The ones we see could also have been a bit longer. For instance, the decepticon Skywave is made out to be a top top fighter for the Decepticons, yet he never fights by himself. A fight between him and Bumblebee would have been nice to see as the visuals would have been really good.

2) The main actress is as always in the Transformers movies criminally underused. I have seen people complaining about her acting skills. But come on - her main purpose in this movie is to look sexy and she does that easily. Would have been nice if she had a bigger role though.

3) Megatron was not used enough. In the first one he was a menace to be feared. In the second one he was suddenly not as good in fighting. In this one he is hardly seen.

All in all - go see this movie! It is a summer blockbuster and on that premise it delivers to 100%. It's by no means an Oscar winner (except for potentially special effects) but that's never what a summer blockbuster is - and should be - about. The movie's sole purpose is to entertain us and that is does flawlessly. Not only via the story lines but also via how well-shot it is and how great the 3D is

kung fu panda 2

From the studio that brought you "Shrek," "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda." Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five - Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. But Po's awesome new life is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1639488793/

Review:

Furry, Ferocious and Fun!

This Memorial Day weekend I watched Kung Fu Panda 2, the sequel to the action packed comedy starring Po (Jack Black) and the fearsome five. The first movie was a fun kids movie that had a lot of catchy one liner phrases, a few kick butt actions scenes, a lot of situational comedy, and a story that was about working hard and finding your inner strength. Now three years later, the fellows at Dreamworks have presented a sequel to this animal centered comedy, which follows after the two duds we saw in Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Is this sequel following the same path that the last Shrek films took, or does it shine on its own? My answer to this question is that it does indeed shine on its own.

The story starts out with a background story about the villain Shen (Gary Oldman) and his lust for power to rule over China, eliminating any forces that try to stand in his way. Not long after the introduction, Po and the gang come back into the picture before Po is called to Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to learn about finding inner peace. However, the peaceful air is soon disturbed by a pack of wolf soldiers and an action fight sequence soon starts that puts most action movies to shame. As the wolves retreat Po, along with the fearsome five, set out to defeat Shen and find inner peace.

Over the course of the journey, Po provides that classic comedy that made him famous in the first film as he uses phrases like awesome, so hardcore, and freaking in providing that awkward and childish enthusiasm that makes him stand out. His enthusiasm is still balanced out by his lack of stamina and large girth comedy which is cleverly integrated into both combat and non combat scenes. Clumsiness also plays a role in Po's ability to make us laugh, as what starts out as the stylish moves of a kung fu master quickly turns into a blundering mistake that somehow seems to work for Po. All of these aspects are brought together by Jack Black's voice work as he finds a way to bring a juvenile tone to the comedy, while still sounding wise and honorable during the serious scenes.

Perhaps one of the strongest aspects about this movie is the balance of story, action, and detail. The story, or should I say stories, are detailed enough to provide character development that older audiences will like, but at the same time is catchy, simple, and fun enough to allow younger audience members to get a gist of what's going on. The integration of action and chase scenes keeps the pace of the movie going while also keeping the attention of the audience glued to the screen, a plus for those that have a hard time sitting through a movie.

What really brings all of these strengths together though is the camera and musical works that add that finishing touch to the movie. The camera work is smooth and not really jumpy and allows one to see what's going in almost every scene. An exception to this style occurs in some of the fighting seen at the end, but it's not too bad so most should be able to slide ignore it. While the camera's capture the action, the music that plays during every scene has been selected to bring out the emotions of the scene and make you feel it deep in your heart. Whether it be fast flying punches, sad flashbacks, or the findings of inner peace and the acceptance of the past the music catches all of these emotions in a brilliant combination of strings, percussions, and other orchestra instruments to make you feel like you are in the movie.

Although this movie has a lot, and I mean a lot of good aspects, there are still some weaknesses that one may find. The comedic styles of Po can get a little stale at times, especially hearing the word hard core about ten times. A second thing is that Po pulls off a little too much Yoda at some points in the movie, I won't say too much more to avoid ruining the movie. Perhaps a third thing one might not like is how long it takes to finish off the final battle. Although the movie is only an hour and half long, some might find the final battle dragged out a little too long and want it to just end, this was not a problem for me however.

Overall Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel that is a must see, especially for kids and fans of the series. Even if you haven't seen the first one yet, which was the case with my cousin, one will be able to find some part of this movie to enjoy. Laughs, actions, drama, story, and heartfelt emotions are all in this movie and the wide appeal to many audiences makes this a great movie for a youth group or friend outing. Thus my Robbie Rating for this movie is 9.8-10.0. I hope that you enjoy this movie as much I did. Recommended audience members: Kids, Dreamworks fans, Kung Fu Panda lovers, action lovers, comedy lovers, etc. People who should avoid this movie: Horror fans and fans looking for a movie with blood, because it doesn't have any of it.